Could go the routing route (!) myself, take a deep breath and trade it on.

Surprised no one's mentioned the 335 - light weight, great LP sounds, with, to my ears, more definition and character. You can also access the dusty end easily unlike LPs and to a lesser extent, Strats.

A good Strat is hard to beat for earthiness and soul, but a 335 gets closer than most, helping humbuckers deliver complexity as well as power. I've two Greco's, a SA-1200 ('80) and SA-900 ('78) - both have wonderful tone. I went 35+ years without trying the 335 model....curses!

Single coils don't sound thin until played alongside a humbucker - 'body' helps describe the difference, humbuckers have more of it.

I wouldn't route it. Personally, I'd get a good strap (amazing the difference this makes), sell it and get a lighter guitar.
There's always weight training, but I doubt a heavy Les Paul is sufficient motivation for you

What sort of strap are you using? A wide padded strap can make the guitar feel a lot more comfortable. There is (or was) some company that makes a "harness" system -- a strap over each shoulder to distribute the weight.

I don't like 10lb+ Les Pauls even when I'm sitting down. They make my leg go sleep. And I've kept my keys in my left pocket ever since the '70s, because they used to leave bruises and puncture wounds in my leg under the weight of an 11 lb Goldtop Deluxe. I used to fantasize about routing it from the back, and then capping it with a thin sheet of flame maple. But as others have mentioned, at best you ruin its value and at worst you ruin the guitar. There are plenty of sub 9 lb LPs available. and quite a few featherweight chambered LPs available.

There are plenty of people out there that make Zakk Wylde look like a wimp who would love a 10.5 lb Paul. It makes more sense to let her go to a good home and find yourself a less dense guitar, unless a different strap makes it tolerable.

generally the dickhead takes a les paul an says 'this guitar sucks, plays like crap'', but it is always the dickheads fault. or would you rather play a lump of concrete and look like a total dickhead... but a les paul does burn better right?

generally the dickhead takes a les paul an says 'this guitar sucks, plays like crap'', but it is always the dickheads fault. or would you rather play a lump of concrete and look like a total dickhead... but a les paul does burn better right?

basically saying if you can shred on a LP your the man (a la John Sykes, Doug Aldrich, Vivian Campell etc). most people bag a LP because they cant play one. i mean they have the tone, but alot of guys are not man enough to play a Les Paul.